Glencore’s Mutanda mine in Democratic Republic of Congo has suspended operations prematurely due to difficulties procuring sulphuric acid, a key input for copper and cobalt extraction, its Mutanda Mining subsidiary told employees in a letter on Monday. The suspension, effective from Monday, comes more than a month before the world’s biggest cobalt mine was set to go into care and maintenance. Glencore had announced in August it would suspend the mine from year-end, for two years.
